


Cloudy Skies

by lunaesomnium



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Don’t copy to another site, Dying Will Flames (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), M/M, Multi, Possessive Behavior, Protectiveness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:20:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23747470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunaesomnium/pseuds/lunaesomnium
Summary: Shinra kills Skies.This has never been a problem for Shinra, until a Sky bonded with some of their highest ranking members.
Relationships: Cloud Strife/Vincent Valentine, Reno/Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Angeal Hewley/Genesis Rhapsodos/Sephiroth/Cloud Strife
Comments: 45
Kudos: 394





	Cloudy Skies

**Author's Note:**

> uh idk what im doing *crying laughing emoji* 
> 
> characterization might be off i am rusty in this fandom and my flame lore is mostly headcanon at this point
> 
> i just wanted an excuse to write an everyone loves cloud fic ok.
> 
> uh so yeah. here you go? i might add aerith/cloud and tifa/cloud bc feral lil ladies being possessive over their Sky just ... hits the spot. lemme know what you think 
> 
> pairings are weird in this fic, some guardians are into one another, some aren't, blah blah idk
> 
> also planning a sky!naruto fic so be on the lookout for That

Shinra kills Skies. There aren’t too many Flame actives in the infantry, but every single SOLDIER has a strong Flame regardless of their typing. Shinra does not tolerate split loyalties and everyone knows that if bonded to one, Skies come first. 

So they kill Skies. Cloud’s not sure how they do it. They can’t send SOLDIERS even though that would make the most sense strength wise — Skies in Hyper Dying Will mode could probably go head to head with a SOLDIER long enough to get away. But it doesn’t matter how they do it. It’s the fact that they _do_ it. It’s somewhat of an open secret, subject to rumor and speculation — especially in Midgar, but none of this has made its way back to Nibelheim. Cloud probably wouldn’t have joined up if he’d known, never mind his dream to become a SOLDIER and fight alongside Sephiroth. But now he’s here, and he’s _stuck_ , because once Shinra has you, they almost never let you go. 

This wouldn’t have been a problem, except Shinra kills Skies. 

And Cloud, despite his name, technically is a Sky. 

* * *

Cloud’s mother calls him a Sky with a Cloudy disposition. That’s why he was named Cloud — he was born and his mother felt his Cloud flames first and thus christened him Cloud. It was an old tradition in the Strife family for them to name their children after their Flames. It hasn’t been followed in a few generations, but Cloud’s mother always did things her way, so he’s not surprised that he ended up the name ‘Cloud.’ 

(Cloud can’t help but be thankful that his mother didn’t feel his Sky flames and name him something else — now that he’s under Shinra’s thumb, he doesn’t need any additional scrutiny.) 

The nature of Cloud’s Flames are somewhat unique — like the sky on a cloudy day, his Cloud Flames _always_ register first, just like how real clouds can obscure the sky from view. In Nibelheim, he’d always been treated as a Cloud and he didn’t mind it too much — though it did sometimes chafe that no one really bothered to look at him and actually _see_ him but in hindsight it was good practice for Shinra, so Cloud doesn’t carry that hurt with him, at least not anymore. 

* * *

Cloud has perfect control over his Flames, his mother had made sure of that with years of training, but sometimes when he looks at Zack he just _Wants_.

Zack is a Lightning — and a pretty strong one at that. Probably the strongest he’s ever felt, though that’s not really a competition for Cloud, who could count the number of Flame actives he knew on one hand back in Nibelheim. There’s a few actives in the infantry, but they don’t hold a candle to Zack. Cloud’s not exactly sure _why_ Zack is so keen on being his friend — he’s a damn strong Sky and that’s the most interesting thing about him, but Zack couldn’t know that since he had kept his Sky flames under a tight leash since signing on with Shinra. His Cloud flames are pretty lackluster in comparison, but Cloud isn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth — especially when that gift is Zack’s friendship. He’ll just take what Zack offers, as he offers it, and when Zack gets tired of him, that’ll be that. 

He tries not to think about Zack leaving him in the dust — not only is it inevitable, but whenever he does his Sky flames start acting up and for a few terrifying moments, it’s harder to keep them suppressed. 

The last thing his mama needs is for Shinra to be in her business because he was dumb enough to be killed for being a Sky after failing to control his Flames — something he’s been able to do since he was _six_ , mind you. 

So yeah, he tries not to think about Zach leaving. But Zack leaving isn’t the only thing that always gets his Flames a-flutter — it’s also Zack’s thrice-damned _clinginess_.

“Get off of me,” this was Cloud’s third or fourth attempt to disentangle himself from Zack’s grasp. 

It wasn’t working too well. 

“Aw.” Zack coos. He’s completely draped over Cloud’s back while Cloud is trying to eat in the cafeteria — he’s also attracting way too much attention, being a SOLDIER and all. “Is someone feeling Cloudy?” 

Cloud scoffs and tries to shrug Zack off of him. 

It doesn’t work. 

(Clouds were notorious for having larger personal space “bubbles” than most — and guarding their space fiercely. Zack was lucky that Cloud liked him enough to let him in said bubble or else he would have gone for the throat _ages_ ago.)

“You’re heavy. Get off.” Cloud probably wouldn’t make too many protests about the touching if it wasn’t done in public — even if it did make his Sky flames harder to control, the touch _did_ help settle him. In Midgar, without his mother who gave him affection on his terms, it was easy to become touch-starved. 

He didn’t want anyone touching him. He didn’t want to touch anyone. 

In this, it seemed Zack was an exception. It was just his luck that the one person in Midgar that he would deign to receive touch from was another Flame active — who, likely due to the mako treatments which enhanced both body and Flame, also exacerbated ... some of the peculiarities of _being_ a Flame active. 

All Flame actives could be possessive. It was just in their nature. But Lightnings? Lightnings could fixate like no other and it seemed like Zack had Fixated on Cloud. 

(This, of course, didn’t mean that Zack couldn’t leave Cloud eventually. The Fixation could end at any moment. Cloud couldn’t rely on that to keep Zack with him.) 

Maybe Cloud was just lucky that Zack hadn’t pissed on him to mark him like a dog. He _was_ in unusual form today. 

“But _Spikeeeeeeeeee_ — I don’t wanna. You’re so comfortable.” Zack punctuates this absolutely untrue statement (Cloud was bony as all hell — there was no way he was _comfortable_ ) by nuzzling his face against Cloud’s and leaning _more_ of his weight onto his captive. 

Cloud feels his eye twitch. “Off.” It didn’t matter how much Zack’s touch settled Cloud — he hated being the center of attention and that’s exactly what he was in the cafeteria. A spectacle that Zack had created to warn others from poaching his territory. He didn’t mind Zack’s touch. He didn’t even mind Zack being affectionate in public. That was Zack being Zack. 

But sometimes his little Lightning hindbrain got in the way of common sense and that’s when Cloud had to put his foot down. Otherwise he’d have Zack hanging off of him at all times, and then Cloud would probably punt the man through a wall or something. 

“No.” Zack says, and Cloud can’t even see him but he can hear the pout in his voice. 

Cloud feels his work eye twitch again. What a big _baby_. “I’m giving you one last chance to get off, Zack. I suggest you take it.” 

“Aw.” Zack says. “Even your threatening is cute — Ow! 

Cloud tastes blood in his mouth. He spits it out in his paper cup of water, but the taste remains. It almost buzzes on his tongue. Must be the Lightning in Zack. “I told you to get off of me.” Cloud doesn’t look at Zack as he rises from his table — now free of his jailer who has sprung back at Cloud’s attack — to dump the rest of his meal in the trash. He wasn’t really hungry anyway. 

“I didn’t think you’d _bite_ me!” Zack sounds incredulous, but when Cloud is finished cleaning up after himself and looks at the man, he looks way too preoccupied with the bleeding bite on his arm. 

Ah. 

Cloud probably shouldn’t have “marked” him. It’s probably doing something stupid to his Lightning hindbrain. 

“Zack. Are you ready to go? Or do you want to stay here while I go back to the barracks?” 

No — nonono!” The words rouse Zack from whatever thoughts he had been having, though his eyes are suspiciously Lightning green before he blinks and they’re back to his “natural” color. “You promised you’d come watch some movies with me!” 

Cloud raises an eyebrow at him, to which Zack comes down from a 15 to about a 8 — on a scale of ten. 

“I don’t even know why we had to stop at the cafeteria anyway,” he says petulantly, slowly following after Cloud who had begun to make his way out of said room, having had enough of people staring at him. “I wanted to get some take-out, but _noooo_.”

The whole reason why Cloud has insisted on coming to the cafeteria was to try and wean Zack from his Fixation — if Cloud allowed Zack to “provide” for him, it would make things worse for Cloud. Zack would probably reach levels of clingy that were completely unheard of. That had backfired, especially with the whole “marking” thing. He shouldn’t have insisting on going to the cafeteria and should’ve just gone to Zack’s apartment and watched a few movies and left. Now Zack’s Lightning hindbrain is going to be _obsessed_ with that bite mark ... especially since wounds made with Flames healed slower, even on SOLDIERS. 

(Cloud. May have — accidentally bit Zack while funneling his Flames to his mouth. Okay it _wasn’t_ an accident, but Zack was _annoying_ him and if he hadn’t he probably wouldn’t have even broken skin. What’s the point of biting something if it doesn’t bleed?) 

He could’ve avoided the entire spectacle in the cafeteria too. 

Ugh. 

Hindsight was such a _bitch_. 

“Hey, wait up!” 

Cloud pretends as if he doesn’t hear Zack and keeps at his brisk pace, speeding up as he hears Zack start to do the same behind him. 

” _Spikeeeeeeeee_!”

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr @ lunae-somnium


End file.
